George W. Bush hits out at 'emboldened bigotry' in US politics

Former US president George W. Bush has denounced bigotry in Trump-era American politics, warning that the rise of "nativism", isolationism and conspiracy theories have clouded the nation's true identity.

The comments, delivered at a New York City conference today hosted by the George W. Bush Institute, amounted to an indirect critique from a former Republican president who has remained largely silent during President Donald Trump's unlikely rise to power.

The 43rd president did not name Mr Trump, but he attacked some of the principles that define the 45th president's political brand.

"We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America," Mr Bush said.

"We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets and international trade, forgetting that conflict, instability and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism.

"We've seen the return of isolation sentiments, forgetting that American security is directly threatened by the chaos and despair of distant places."